The field of the invention is directed to exercise devices and games associated therewith.
The trampoline is well known as an exercise device. Traditionally, a trampoline is formed from a sheet of material such as canvas which forms the trampoline bed and which is attached to a rigid support frame by elongate elastic means such as springs. The sheet of material is therefore resiliently supported above the ground in a horizontal position, and functions as a springboard for the user. In using the trampoline, one jumps up and down on the bed and, with practice, can perform acrobatic feats in mid-air above the bed.
An important parameter of trampolines which allows one to perform such gymnastics will be designated "rebound factor" for the purposes of this specification. Rebound factor as herein defined is a percentage of the distance an object will be rebound after falling onto the bed from said distance. Rebound factor therefore is a function of the weight of the object as well as the spring of the bed. Typically, a trampoline will have a rebound factor of about 50% for an average human being. Thus, if an average adult were to fall 10 feet onto a trampoline, he would be rebounded about five feet into the air.
Although the trampoline offers great enjoyment and exercise for the user, it also poses significant dangers.
Many injuries have resulted in using a trampoline from the user falling from the bed onto the ground below or falling onto hard objects such as the support frame or springs. Also, due to the construction of the trampoline, it is quite easy for the user's arm or leg to slip between the support frame and the bed which can cause severe injury.
Games have been created for play on a trampoline. One of these games involves a volleyball-type net which is suspended above the trampoline bed. The game is then played in a volleyball-type fashion, upon the trampoline with two or more players hitting or throwing the ball above the net. A variation of this game as generally described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,201,126, 3,256,021, and 3,312,471, is to have the net extend down to the bed and to have a hole in the net, with the object being to throw the ball through the hole in the net rather than above the net.
These games, although offering fun and exercise, possess all of the serious injury potential of the trampoline alone. In fact, the dangers are probably greater in that the players can easily become more concerned with the competitiveness of the game rather than their proximity to the edge of the trampoline bed.
Also known in the art is a device which consists of an inflated pneumatic cushion, the upper side of which is enclosed by an inflated structure which serves as the walls and roof. The device is particularly designed for children who enjoy walking about the soft cushion. This device offers an advantage over trampoline games in that there are no rigid supports which can cause injury. However, it suffers the disadvantage in that the rebound factor of the cushion is much less than that of a trampoline bed being only about 10% for an average adult.
The disclosed invention is a significant improvement over past devices in that it offers the safety of the pneumatic cushion devices while offering the rebound factor of the trampoline.